Question 1
In the United States a man who intentionally has his penis and testicles cut off would be considered crazy by most people and in need of hormonal and psychological therapy by a small minority. Yet, though the hijras provoke ambivalence in many Indians, they are considered neither crazy nor candidates for therapeutic intervention. There are mythological and structural reasons for the reason. The removal of the penis and the testicles among the hijras makes you a goddess who has the capacity to bless and curse. In the book “Neither Man or Woman”, the hijra community members are not considered ...